BATON ROUGE, La. — Xavier University of Louisiana got a complete game from Maia Tyler and two RBIs from Amaya Williams in a 5-1 Tuesday softball victory against NCAA Division I Southern University at Lady Jaguar Field.
        The Gold Nuggets, 10-17 and a longtime NAIA member, defeated a DI opponent for the first time in three attempts this season and the fourth time in their four seasons.
        "It was fun," first-year XULA head coach Kailey Anderson said. "We played well and played together. It was fun to watch."
        XULA never lost the lead after scoring once in the third inning. Tyler (7-8), a freshman right-hander, pitched her 10th complete game and helped the Gold Nuggets allow their fewest runs in a game this season.
        "Our mindset every game is that no matter how difficult the opponent, we have a job to do," Tyler said. "We were locked in together to get this win."
        Williams hit a bases-empty home run with two out in the fifth inning and singled home Caitlin Buford in the seventh. Buford scored a season-high three times.
        Southern, the second-place team in the Southwestern Athletic Conference West Division, is 13-18.
        XULA will return to the road for a 2 p.m. Saturday Red River Athletic Conference doubleheader against Jarvis Christian at Hawkins, Texas.
        "We need to bring this momentum to conference," said Anderson, whose Gold Nuggets are 7-11 in the RRAC and in eighth place out of 11 teams.